480 DIVISION OF THE HUMAN SPECIES 



cular strength. The flesh of all the Eskimaux feels soft 

 and flabby, which may be attributed to the nature of their 

 food. But the most surprising peculiarity of this people is 

 the smallness of their hands and feet *.'* 



The same characters belong to the several tribes of Eski- 

 maux, which are scattered over the whole breadth of the 

 American continent. Humboldt f mentions the affinity 

 of the languages at the two extreme points ; and Dr. 

 Clark J has noticed the complete resemblance of the dresses^ 

 ornaments, weapons, &c. brought by Mr. Chappell from 

 Hudson's Strait to those in a collection made by Commo- 

 dore Billings in the north-west extremity of the continent. 



Similar descriptions might be quoted of the other people 

 included under this variety. 



III. In the Ethiopian Variety the skin and eyes are 

 black ; the hair black and woolly ; the skull compressed 

 laterally, and elongated towards the front ; the forehead low, 

 narrow, and slanting; the cheek-bones are prominent; the 

 jaws narrow and projecting; the upper front-teeth oblique ; 

 the chin recedes. The eyes are prominent ; the nose broad, 

 thick, flat, and confused with the extended jaw ; the lips, 

 and particularly the upper one, are thick. The knees turn 

 in, in many instances. 



All the natives of Africa, not included in the first variety, 

 belong to this. 



The striking peculiarities of the African organization, and 

 particularly the great difference between its colour and our 

 own, have led many persons to adopt the opinion of Vol- 

 taire §, who had not a sufficient knowledge of physiology 

 and natural history to determine the question, that the Afri- 

 cans belong to a distinct species. I have shewn, in the pre- 

 ceding divisions of this article, that there is no one charac- 

 ter so peculiar and common to the iVfricans, but that it 

 is found frequently in the other varieties, and that Negroes 



* Chappeli.'s Narrative of a Voyage to Hudson's Bay^ p. 58-9. 



+ Personal Narrative, v. iii. p. 291. 



+ Chappell's Voyage., &c. Introductory Advertisement ; and Appendix E. 



^ See the quotation of his opinion at p. 228. 



